Car-fender



(No Model.)

W. WAEGEL.

GAR FENDER.

No. 558,538. Patented Apr. 21, 1896.

Willz'amWaeyafi Illll IIIIIIIIILI' EL M ig AA. 141% ANDREW BGRMIAM.PNU'IO-UTNQWASNINGIDILDC I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM IVAEGEL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,538, dated April21, 1896.

Application filed August 8,1895.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM IVAEGEL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCar-Fenders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in oar-fenders, andhas for its object to provide such a device which, when coming incontact with a person, will be automatically put in a position to throwsaid person from the track before being reached by the wheels of the carand at the same time shut off the electric current from the motor ofsaid car; and with these ends in View my invention consists in theconstruction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, and thenspecifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this inventionappertains may understand how to make and use the same, I will describeits construction and operation in detail, referring by number to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and inwhich Figure 1 is a perspective of one end of a car with my deviceattached thereto Fig. 2, a bottom planview thereof; Fig. 3, a detailedsection illustrating the trip mechanism, and Fig. 4; a similar Viewshowing the yielding bearing for the front roll.

Similar numbers denote like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 represents the car, and 2 the truck thereof, and to the forward end ofthis truck is pivoted at 3 the angle-frame 4:, whose apex lies back ofthe front edge of the platform and is provided with the bracket 5,adapted to be engaged by the dog 6, secured upon the rod 7, which isjournaled in the brackets S, de pending from the side of the platform.

9 are a number of rolls j ournaled upon pins 10, which latter aresecured at one end in the frame 4 and having secured to their lower endsthe bars 11. These rolls are formed in sections and have interposedtherebetween the bars 12. The front roll, or that which is located atthe angle of the frame, is preferably j ournaled upon a coil spring 13,so that its several sections when coming in contact Serial No. 558,656.(No model.)

with an obstruction will yield to modify the violence of said contact.

14 is a trundle-roll journaled upon the shaft 15, secured in suitablebearings upon the frame, and the object of this roll is to prevent thefender from coming in contact with the ground when lowered intooperative position, as will be hereinafter set forth.

16 are a series of fingers depending from the rod 7 in the front offender, so that an object coming in contact with these fingers willswing the dog 6 from out of engagement with the bracket 5, therebypermitting the fender to drop into its operative position and ride uponthe roller 14 until the car is stopped.

17 is a circuit-breaker pivoted at 18 and having its contact-point at19. This circuitbreaker is adapted to-be held in its closed position bythe extension 20 from the bracket 5 and is arranged in the circuit ofthe motor by which the car is propelled, so that when the fender isdropped, as before described, said circuit is broken by the falling ofthe circuit-breaker and thus the propelling power of the car shut ofi.

From this description the operation of my improvement will be obviouslyas follows: Should a car provided with my improvement when passingrapidly along its track come in contact with and knock down a person,the fingers 16 will be operated by contact with the person and the dog 6withdrawn from engagement with the bracket 5 and the fender dropped toits operative position, when upon a further forward movement of the carsaid fender will come in contact with said person and thrust him to oneside or the other from ofi the track, so that the wheels cannot passover said person, and as the sides of the fender are provided with rollsit follows that but little friction will be generated between the fenderand the person struck, but that it will readily shed said person to oneside or the other, thus saving his life. By the dropping 'of the fenderthe power by which the car is propelled is shut ofi, so as to bring saidcar to a stop without care from the motorman, and this result may beaccelerated by providing a suitable brake mechanism adapted to be put inoperation upon the dropping of the fender.

To turn the fender to its normal elevated position, it is only necessaryfor the motorman to grasp the handle-bar 21 through the opening 22 inthe platform and raise said fender until the bracket is rengaged by thedog. If found necessary, the fingers may be held in their normalposition by a spring, so as to prevent the dog being withdrawn from itsbracket by accident or the momentum of the car.

While I have shown the rolls made in sections and bars interposedtherebetween, it is obvious that these bars might be omitted and therolls made in one piece, the top and bottom of which are flared to formflanges, or other modifications might be made in the constructionwithout departing from the spirit of my invention, which rests in thebroad idea of providing a fender having antifriction-rolls so arrangedas to shed a person from the track when struck by said fender.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and usefulis 1. In a device of the character described, a frame having j ournaledthereon, a number of rolls, a bracket carried by the frame, atripping-dog adapted to engage the bracket, fingers for operating saiddog, and a circuitbreaker held closed by the bracket and adapted to openwhen the fender is dropped, for the purpose described.

2. In a car-fender, an angle-frame pivoted to the car, a number of rollscarried by said frame, a trundle-roll adapted to support the front endof said fender when in operative position, a bracket secured to the apexof the frame, a circuit-breaker held closed by the bracket and adaptedto open when the fender is dropped, a dog to engage the bracket, a rodupon which the dog is secured and fingers secured to the rod whereby thedog is operated, as and for the purpose described.

In a car-fender, a frame having rolls disposed upon its sides, a bracketsecured to its apex and a trip mechanism for holding it in a normalelevated position in combination with a circuit-breaker held closed bysaid bracket, and adapted to open when said fender is dropped, for thepurpose of shutting off the propelling power of the car, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed mysignature in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

IVILLIAM XVAEGEL.

\Vitnesses: I

S. S. VVILLIAMsoN, SAMUEL L. TAYLOR.

